So I have this old laptop that's not working properly and I want to remove the screen so I can use it in a raspberry pi project. You can purchase a screen for this purpose, however since I have an old laptop, it makes a lot more sense to take it apart and use that screen instead and save me the money.

Every laptop is different, however this process will give you a general idea of how to disassemble a laptop.

I'm going to salvage most parts of the laptop including the motherboard, memory cards etc... which is why I'm going to take it apart completely. I want to do this as carefully as I can so I could theoretically put it back together again.

You don't have to remove every single screw on all laptops to access the screen, however this particular model has hidden screws that need to be removed in order to access the screen, so I'm going to take it apart totally.

When disassembling a laptop like this you should be careful, because if it has a compact fluorescent screen, it does contain mercury, so keep that in mind.

Step 1: Removing Battery & Screws

So let's get started.

First of all let's pop the battery and remove it.

Then it's a matter of finding all the screws and removing them with a small screw driver. The screws are small and can be quite difficult to find, so it's just a matter of looking real close and removing as you find them.

I start with removing the memory cards, and there are two in this laptop, one 1 gig and one 2 gigs.

So I'm also going to clip the WiFi off.

Now when I have all the screws removed from the back, I'm going to try to pop off the section that holds the keyboard in. I'm gently removing the keyboard by loosening the clips on either side of the ribbon. Now I have another ribbon connecting the power and the wireless buttons.

Step 2: Removing the Bottom

OK, so now I'm looking for more screws to remove, and sometimes they can be a little difficult to find. They can hide behind stickers, cards and other things, so just look around everywhere.

There are wires coming from the screen and ribbons, so I'm working on disconnecting those.

I'm basically trying to remove as much as possible. Disconnect any wiring, removing any screws, taking it apart as

much as I can.

Now I'm at the stage where I'm trying to take the bottom apart. So I want to separate the bottom from the piece on top and it kind of snaps out of it. Sometimes I get stuck, and that's when I know I must have missed a screw. So again, looking carefully and removing any screws I can find and that enables me to separate the pieces.

Step 3: Removing the Screen From the Monitor

There are little plates connecting the monitor to the base, so I'm hooking those off and the monitor is off the base.

Then I can snap off the plastic piece around the screen and it's off.

Time to remove even more screws to totally remove the screen off its case on the sides, and then it's finally completely off.

Let's remove the band connected to the screen and any other wires, carefully.

Step 4: Looking Up the HDMI Controller Number

So, now in order to use this monitor for a raspberry pi project I need to find the number for the right HDMI controller.

There are a couple of labels on the back of the screen, so I'm just going to try and search for them all online using the term: "hdmi controller .... (number)" and see what comes up. Usually it's not that hard to find something that matches, and then you know it will work to connect the screen with a raspberry pi.